The world may seem grim right now, but for a few hours on a glorious April Sunday, a packed crowd at Her Majesty’s Theatre cut loose and kicked off their Sunday shoes.

I had doubts that a musical staged during a cost of living ‘crisis’ so soon after festival season would attract an audience, so it was a treat to see the beautifully renovated Her Majesty’s packed to the rafters with eager punters. It was also delightful to see a diverse audience, from fans of the original film to teenagers eager to see what their parents were on about when dancing badly whenever Kenny Loggins comes on the radio, to people who clearly just love musicals. The incredibly talented ensemble deliver a flawless production which resonated with every enthralled audience member. There is something magical about an audience who has left their reality behind in the capable hands of artistic therapists.

Electrifying from start to finish, credit must first go to the lighting and set designers, although the stage is deliberately kept sparse for multiple scene changes, the lighting was precisely honed and scene transitions smooth, keeping the audience engaged. Meeting our hero Ren as he and his powerful mother leave Chicago after his deadbeat dad skipped town, to Bomont, a bible belt town haunted by tragedy,

The plot is legendary, but even for the uninitiated, the tale of a kind-hearted rebel who changes the hearts and minds of a scarred town is timeless. It is basically a tale of outsider meets daughter of emotionally repressed Reverend, teaches a town starved of joy how to live again, daughter finds her voice and the clumsy townsfolk embrace the outrageous interloper.

There are moments of perfectly timed humour, with local bumpkin Willard delivering some of the show’s best lines. His transformation from bumbling yokel to confident dancer and paramour to the hilariously brash Rusty is an absolute delight.

The show strikes a balance between musical and theatre, which is a relief for punters who enjoy a break between belters. It is one of the few shows I have seen where every song is executed beautifully, it was astonishing to hear an ensemble cast execute magical moments. ‘Somebody’s eyes’ will remain as one of the best musical performances I have witnessed.

The audience were transfixed rooting for Ren and his friends as they fought to bring back dancing to the town. Watching a crowd wait in anticipation as the once dance averse Reverend permit the kids to kick off their Sunday shoes brought tears to my eyes and a rapturous crowd to their feet.

By Emily Hutchinson